Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-19

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

the diagram shows about how the energy is produced by geothermal power plant.

first of all, cold water which is stored in the tank form 4.5 km long the injection well inside the surface and then passes through the geothermal zone . the geothermal zone is also called hot rocks zone .

in the injection well the cold water is pumped down and passes through the hot rocks"THE GEOTHERMAL ZONE" and cold water is changed to hot water and pumoed up through the production well.

then the hot water pumped up is passes through the condenser where it form the steam and then passes through the turbine which is powered by steam.

at last , the turbine powered goes to the generator where electricity is produced which is then conected to tower.

the upper information carries the information about the step how the electricity is produced using the geothermal power point.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student covers the main stages of the geothermal energy production process, from pumping cold water down a 4.5 km injection well through hot rocks to generating electricity. However, the response is relatively brief and lacks a clear, cohesive overall summary or synthesis of the process in the introduction or conclusion. Certain parts of the description, such as the mechanism of the condenser and turbine, are slightly imprecise or repetitive. While the key steps are identified, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and mechanical, aligning closely with Band 5.0 descriptors where the task is addressed, but with under-developed integration of overall trends or features.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text suffers from poor paragraphing and a lack of proper visual division, being presented almost as a single continuous block with minimal capitalisation or structural breaks. Transitional phrases like 'first of all', 'then', and 'at last' are used, but overall cohesion is mechanical and repetitive. The progression of ideas becomes muddled in places, particularly around the condenser and turbine stages where sentence boundaries are blurred. Referencing and logical sequencing are basic, leading to a choppy read that meets the criteria for Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and repetitive, relying heavily on direct lifts from the diagram prompts such as 'cold water', 'hot water', 'injection well', and 'geothermal zone'. There are several spelling and word-form errors, including 'form' instead of 'from', 'pumoed' instead of 'pumped', 'passes' instead of 'pass', and 'conected' instead of 'connected'. Attempts at less common vocabulary are either inaccurate or non-existent. The lexical range is minimally adequate for the task, resulting in a Band 5.0 score due to frequent noticeable errors and limited flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response features a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple or awkwardly strung-together compound sentences with frequent run-on issues. There are numerous grammatical and punctuation errors throughout, such as missing capitalisation at the start of sentences ('the diagram shows...'), missing articles, and incorrect prepositions ('form 4.5 km long the injection well inside the surface'). Verb tense and voice consistency are also weak in places. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, the response fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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